The invention relates to a method for producing a padding for transporting general cargo in an outer packaging, comprising the following step carried out by a computer, a 3D scanner and/or a padding machine: obtaining 3D data of a 3D CAD model and material data for each item of general cargo by transfer from a database and/or by three-dimensional scanning of the general cargo by means of the 3D scanner.
When collating and then packing goods in a warehouse, a packing strategy is generally applied which aims to fill standardised packing sizes, such as parcels or pallets. The individual items of general cargo are placed in an outer packaging which is then filled up with a padding, which often consists of filling material. The used filling material is generally loose material, such as plastic balls, straw, or paper balls, so as to uniformly fill out an unused volume in the outer packaging. Due to the filling material, the items of general cargo are padded and fixed in the outer packaging in order to avoid damage thereto during transport. Alternatively or additionally, customised, individual filling material can be used, however this is generally used only with outer packaging of individual items and sales units and is produced directly by the manufacturer.
During transport, many goods are damaged in spite of all this on account of insufficient or absent padding and are returned as a result. A primary reason lies in the standardised padding, which is not suitable for the particular transport requirements of the goods. Particular difficulties are encountered in the grouping of fragile and heavy goods in one parcel. This is because current processes in a warehouse or fulfilment centre often do not allow customised consideration of the particular goods or grouping thereof in a parcel on account of the speed of the picking when collating said goods.